


sometimes one bite is more than enough

by kaorupecs



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mall dates, They're third years here, time skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:09:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27274708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaorupecs/pseuds/kaorupecs
Summary: Their kiss lasted shorter than Hinata would have liked, but the aftermath of Tsukasa gazing up at him with doe shaped eyes, panting ever so slightly as he caught his breath was more than enough to make up for it.“I,” Tsukasa’s voice was breathy, his tone the same as it was during the aftermath of a Knights concert, hours of center time over in what felt like minutes.“If I had known this is what a mall would be like, I would have gone to one ages ago!”
Relationships: Aoi Hinata/Suou Tsukasa
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	sometimes one bite is more than enough

**Author's Note:**

> (to know you want more of the thing you just got a taste of)

“ _Oh my God_.”

Despite the hustle and bustle of the world around him, the chattering teenagers, enthusiastic screaming of toddlers, the click-clacks of heels and squeaks of high tops against the linoleum floors, the precise voice of Hinata’s boyfriend could never go unheard.

It was embarrassing to say, but Tsukasa’s voice rang clear despite the noise, a dove soaring through the open sky. Hinata felt his own arm lift up towards it, grasping at nothing as the sound escaped his grip. He could see the clear blue hues in the gaps beneath his fingers, could see light wisps of clouds in the neverending openness. He could see as open as the sky could get, trapped behind large panes of glass, each one connecting to the anothers, edges welded tightly shut, creating one mesmerizing polygon protecting the onlookers from the weather. When you were standing on the second floor balcony of a crowded mall, it was truly a beautiful sight.

While his voice was clear, it was hard to pick the man himself out of the crowd. Hinata’s third year growth spurt oftentimes came to his advantage, the blessing making itself apparent again as he scoured the crowd, looking for maroon hair that had been steadily darkening over the years. It wasn’t much of a help, the specific shade of wine red had become an increasingly popular shade to dye your hair. Countless of articles had been written about it, and while Hinata knew to not put too much substance into gossip pieces, seeing Tsukasa on lists titled ‘ _Top 10 Idols that Always Manage to Have Sleek and Modern Hair, Inspiring the Masses_ ’, never failed to make him preen.

With every passing second, Hinata felt himself get more and more lost in the crowd. Every significantly shorter than average redhead he laid his eyes on wasn’t _his_ redhead, in fact, most of them seemed to be very lovely little grandmas. It was a stroke of luck that made Hinata turn around and lock eyes with the back of Tsukasa’s head, as he gaped at a wall covered in hundreds of different types of three wick candles.

...Huh. Maybe his boyfriend had more in common with a grandmother than Hinata had originally thought. His lanky legs carried him quickly over to the open display of the store, not like Tsukasa noticed. He was too busy practically shoving his face into a beige jar, the wick of ‘ _Sparkling Vanilla_ ’ almost entering his nostril.

Hinata didn’t need to announce his appearance, instead strolling towards the other end of the wall, picking up scents he thought Tsukasa would like. Plenty of sugary sounding names were placed into the basket on Hinata’s arm, as well as cherry blossom candles the exact shade of his cousin in law’s hair.

It wasn’t until a sickly sweet baby pink candle was pressed to his nose that Tsukasa looked up. His eyes weren’t on Hinata for long, as they fluttered closed as soon as he’d gotten a whiff of the artificial cotton candy the candle was named after. Tsukasa’s eyelashes were a wispy cherry red against the high peaks of his full cheeks. No amount of store air conditioning could prevent the syrupy flush that had crawled upon the bridge of Tsukasa’s nose. The summer heat they were enveloped in was sticky, sweet and slow like Hinata was plucking maraschino cherries out of a jar, one by one.

The jar obscuring the lower half of Tsukasa’s face was currently the world’s worst hindrance. If Hinata had told himself a decade ago that his biggest worry would be being prevented from reaching his boyfriend’s lips, the kid probably would have sobbed on the spot. Really, who could blame him? Poverty was no longer a worry, Hinata grabbed the candle and unceremoniously dropped it into the basket, not caring if the glass shattered. Tsukasa would be buying the store’s entire stock, anyways. One finger latched around the belt loop of Tsukasa’s jeggings, the rest of Hinata’s hand perfectly content with resting on top of Tsukasa’s thigh, keeping the other boy close.

His other hand was already cupping Tsukasa’s cheek, tilting his chin ever so slightly. The angle was perfect, and even if it wasn’t Hinata had bumped his nose with Tsukasa’s wide one too many times to care. With two years of practice under his belt, slotting their lips together was no trouble at all. Long gone were the days where Hinata was both desperate for intimacy but sent trembling away by even the brush of Tsukasa’s hand against his. No, in the present Hinata could instantly recognize the short fingers brushing against his own, light calluses from archery tracing over his chipped nail polish.

Their kiss lasted shorter than Hinata would have liked, but the aftermath of Tsukasa gazing up at him with doe shaped eyes, panting ever so slightly as he caught his breath was more than enough to make up for it.

“I,” Tsukasa’s voice was breathy, his tone the same as it was during the aftermath of a Knights concert, hours of center time over in what felt like minutes.

“If I had known this is what a mall would be like, I would have gone to one ages ago!”

“Gee, thanks, I love you too.”

Tsukasa’s cheeks expanded out like one of the Marine Bio Club’s pufferfish. It was ridiculously cute, instantaneously making up for the reprimanding swat Hinata’s left arm received.

“Don’t make me look like an asshole!”

“Mmm? Ah, Tsukasa-chan, it’s too late for that~” Placing a limp arm over his forehead, Hinata wilted. “It appears Izumi-senpai, Ibara-senpai, Tenshouin-senpai, ah, shit, who else is immoral—oh! Rinne-senpai...they’ve all made their mark on my once sweet, innocent angel..”

“Shut up! I’m– Stop! How can _you_ say _I’m_ acting like Amagi?! You’re–You’re too much like him, growing your hair out and everything!”

Tsukasa's hand brushed through the underbrush of Hinata’s hair. Torn between leaning into the contact and tearing himself away from the growing heat against his neck, Hinata did neither, slouching against the wall, eyes looking from the cracked polish of his nails to the splinters on the glass of ' _Whiskers on Kittens_ ', the scent of plum now faint in the air between them.

“Nooo, it’s okay, I get it, I get it...you like the candles more than me… that’s fine, I’ll live.. you want to ask ‘ _Midnight Waterfalls_ ’ what it’s ring size is?” Unlike Tsukasa, growing up with tutors and esteemed language instructors, Hinata had learned what he knew of English from Beyoncé’s greatest hits.

“All the single ladies, all the single ladies, all the single ladies, all the single ladies—”

“Wh— _Put your hand down_! I don’t- I know your ring size is a five, I don’t need to ask.” Tsukasa’s fingers continued to lightly grip Hinata’s wrist, fumbling in their movement. Reminiscent of the first few weeks of their relationship, Hinata allowed himself to make the first leap of faith, curling Tsukasa’s fingers around his own. He let their intertwined hands swing as he reached for the basket, certain that they were ready for checkout.

The fifteen candles should be more than enough to tide Tsukasa over for the time being, and if not, they definitely had the funds to visit the shop’s online website. For now, though, they had other goods to buy and displays to see. It wasn’t all that surprising that Tsukasa had never been to a commoner’s mall, but it was definitely a problem that needed to be rectified.

Spending all their time in a candle store was a waste when there was a Hot Topic three stores down. The possibility of his prep boyfriend getting hissed at was astronomically high, and even if Hinata didn’t get his nightly entertainment, it’d be fun to show Tsukasa how easily the buttons could be stolen.

Not like he would anymore, the scandal a theft would cause–no matter how minor–would surely put an end to 2wink’s budding career. Really, it’s not like the buttons valued much at all. Unguarded the way they were, it was second nature for a much younger version of himself to slink away with merchandise of whatever shows that were popular at the time.

Hinata had long resigned himself to being the weird kid who smelled bad, but his brother hadn’t. A handful of buttons, cheaply printed as they may be, never failed to put a smile on Yuuta’s face. Neither of them knew the subjects in question, but the other kids did. Guilt from lying about the extra tips he had received was washed away whenever Yuuta skipped home from school, smile reminiscent of one of the sun’s beams. No matter what the press said, the real sun was his brother. His joy was contagious, Hinata couldn’t help but reflect the emotions that were never originally his.

Once more, Hinata allowed himself to be pulled into another’s orbit, Tsukasa choosing their path, dragging Hinata along into the Burberry store. It’s placement was a little odd, the bass of Death Game Holic from the Hot Topic next door still easily recognizable, clashing with the otherwise sophisticated vibe. Tsukasa didn’t bat an eye, still a man on a mission. The clothing display he stopped in front of blended in with the others almost seamlessly, similar shades of tan and plaid textures showcasing a definitive cohesion between the entire collection. It wasn’t surprising, Tsukasa’s own closet held multiple variations of what _seemed_ to be the same garment, but was actually differentiated by minor details.

Despite growing up with Yuuta, hearing him ramble on and on about what was “sooo in right now, Aniki!” whenever the opportunity arose, Hinata still knew almost nothing about fashion. It didn’t matter, Tsukasa was content to talk about the varying differences between bishop and peasant sleeves and Hinata was content to listen. He was content to watch, too, his boyfriend bending over to pick out a light, breathable overcoat that he then proceeded to place into Hinata’s open arms.

“Try that on, would you? I think it’d look cute with one of your small shirts.”

“My crop tops,” Hinata corrected. He was wearing one right now, but even he knew it wasn't close to the type Tsukasa had in mind. Neon pink clashed horribly with the shortbread beige of the outerwear, the fabric thin enough that you could still see the pink where the two overlapped.

“Mm, yeah, your crop tops...but not that one.” Tsukasa’s hands were on him again, straightening the jacket's collar and unashamedly dragging themselves over Hinata’s open midriff.

“Not this one!” It was hard to not be agreeable when Tsukasa felt him up, impossible, even.

“I’m thinking a white one? Hmm, a turtleneck would look cute too, but it’s much too hot for that..” It was also much too hot right now, Tsukasa’s touch making Hinata feel like the cookies they like to bake—gooey and warm, straight out of the oven. He did nothing about it, instead letting Tsukasa manhandle him as he pleased.

Tsukasa’s hands found their way to Hinata’s unkempt hair again, the added length making it all the more difficult to control. Hinata’s bangs were held in place with a headband, but loose strands had managed to fall out despite the added barrier. Tsukasa was the only one who could ever tame Hinata’s hair, combing through the lengthy back with the fingers on one hand, his other occupied by a spit-soaked thumb, dragging shorter hairs and sticking them in place.

“Yes, I think you’d look great...could stand to accessorize a bit more, do you still have that boater hat I got you?”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t throw it away for the world.” Tsukasa huffed, cheeks still flushed a pretty shade pink. CosPro was taking in costume adjustments, maybe Hinata should tweak his image color’s shade…

“I’m being serious, you know. That hat would look nice.”

Hinata paused his thoughts to tug on one of Tsukasa’s equally fuschia colored ears. He had yet to pierce his standard lobes, but twin golden hoops rested snuggly on the inner cartilage of his ears.

“And I’m being serious too, that hat cost like, fifty thousand yen. It’s not going anywhere, and if it did I’d throw myself into oncoming traffic.”

The sigh Hinata got in response was much too put upon, a certain fondness detected even when Tsukasa was doing his best to act otherwise. Not quite to Izumi’s level, thank god for that.

“Well, I’m glad you have another real outfit to wear, then.”

“I’ll wear my swim trunks with it to top the whole ensemble off. Add an, ah, ‘ _avant garde_ ’ flair, y’know? Project Runway. Looking camp straight in the eye.”

“Not if you know what’s good for you, you won’t.” Tsukasa’s hand yanked down the frayed ends of Hinata’s jorts. He refused to throw them away, wearing them despite the fact that they rode up constantly and were downright _hideous_. It was fun, seeing Tsukasa screech at whatever unholy combination Hinata pulled out of his closet that day.

“We’ll see, we’ll see~” Tsukasa continued to pick clothes out, place them against Hinata’s body, nod at what he saw, and then place it on his arm.

“Are you not getting anything for yourself?” Pulled out of his rhythm, Tsukasa fumbled his movements, the button down in his arms slipping off of the pile he had amassed, falling to the floor.

Hinata knew he had been heard, but Tsukasa wasn’t offering up an answer, instead, he kept his eyes low to the floor. He was seemingly enamored by that one shirt on the floor, focus occupied by nothing other than that high collar standing tall from the ground.

“You’re the fashionista, not me...don’t you want to get something for you too?”

“I— it’s..” Tsukasa’s fingers ran over the shirt's bottom hemline. It was shorter than the average shirt length, boxy in the shoulders so the cropped silhouette would hang over the wearer.

“I don’t think… It’s just, ah, you would wear it better, I think. Not for me.” Tsukasa let the shirt fall once again, hands now occupied with flattening down the front of his shirt.

“Hmm, I don’t think so. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know I’m sooo cute~ But I’ve never met anyone as handsome as you. Really, I’m so lucky, huh? My first boyfriend, and he turned out to be the _one_...you could wear those nasty church poncho’s Fine were in and still make it look good, you know.”

“I _do_ look better than Tori…”

“That’s the spirit~ Oh, to see my shining knight in a crop top, I think I’d faint, actually. Die. It’d be the Twitter trending topic for three hours until you stun the general public in a crisp suit.”

“ _Hinata_.” Was Tsukasa’s embarrassment from Hinata’s words or his hands running up his sides? The world may never know!

“What? I’m serious! My boyfriend’s soooo hot and the news outlets eat it up! All the time! I should be jealous, really. All your fangirls...my Tsukasa stan account isn’t even the most followed one! It should be, I was your first fan!”

Bundles of fabric were shoved into Hinata’s arms, his boyfriend following close behind. Tsukasa’s head was glued to Hinata’s shoulder, his neck nearly the same shade as his hair.

“You…a _fan_ account?”

“Yup. A fanartist is designing body pillow covers, you know. I’m gonna buy seven, at least. Maybe more, depends on how well our next comeback sells.” Tsukasa pulled away from Hinata in a flash, glare apparent as he frowned at Hinata.

“Gross.” Tsukasa was close enough that Hinata could feel the warmth of his breath. Had he mentioned it was hot in here? It was _really_ hot in here.

“You’re gross, I’m leaving.”

“Nooo!” In the face of the rejection, Hinata’s laughter was lighthearted. “Take the shirt with you, at least. I wanna see my man break the internet!”

Hinata plucked the top out of the pile and pressed it against Tsukasa’s chest. The deep cedar brown color made the red of his hair stand out more, Hinata could only imagine what he’d look like with it on properly. Tsukasa’s sigh was cut short, the smile on his face doing wonders to hinder the air flow.

“Fine, fine, I’ll get it, but only to wear around the dorms.”

“Mm, I’m not complaining. The more of you I get to keep for myself, the better.” The sound of Hinata’s lips smacking together was obnoxious, the wet kisses he pressed all over Tsukasa’s face even more so. His boyfriend had a new skip in his step, picking up whatever clothes he desired to add to their ever growing pile.

Hinata carried their dozens of shopping bags without complaint. The slight ache in his arms was nothing compared to the first time he had tried acrobatics, or the pain after the lengths he had pushed himself practicing in his first year. He could deal with paper bags full of expensive clothes just fine. Really, the only thing that was proving to be a pain was how inaccessible his wallet currently was.

Shelling out on designer clothes wasn’t necessary when there was a quaint shop selling fresh cinnamon rolls a few yards away. Hinata led the way, hopping along to the steadily increasing sound of Melty Kitchen. Turning around to triple check, Hinata was pleased to see his boyfriend was none the wiser, currently engrossed in an intense level of Candy Crush as they walked.

It wasn’t until they had reached the counter that Tsukasa looked up, his groan of frustration morphing into a surprised gasp within seconds. Tsukasa’s eyes resembled the amethysts on Nagisa-senpai’s desk, sparkling in the sunlight. His hands were pressed up against the glass display, eyes flickering in every direction, not able to stay focused on one treat for too long.

He would gladly accept second place if it meant Tsukasa was always this pleased around sweets. Tsukasa’s smile was contagious, Hinata could feel his own cheeks begin to sting from how hard he was beaming. It’d hurt his wallet to do this, but with the way Tsukasa was looking at _every_ treat with such longing, it’d hurt Hinata more to make him choose.

“So,” Tsukasa’s head spun to look at Hinata, wide eyed in suspense.

“I was thinking we buy one of each, so you can try a little bit of everything, and then when we’re so full the thought of moving makes us nauseous, we give the leftovers away.” Hinata had barely enough time to finish his sentence before his vision was filled with a blur of red. He could swear the wind was knocked out of him as Tsukasa cornered him in a bear hug, he may be small, but he definitely packed a punch.

Tsukasa was talking a mile a minute, praise effortlessly spilling from his lips. There were only so many ‘You’re the _best_ boyfriend ever—!’s Hinata could take before he was sufficiently done for. He could feel the sweat bead at his hairline, the moisture rolling down his face doing absolutely nothing to quell the blush radiating off of his skin. He was down for the count, and could do nothing more than hand Tsukasa his wallet before hiding his face in his hands.

Hinata was not one of god’s strongest soldiers, peeking through the gaps of his fingers to watch Tsukasa bounce excitedly on the balls of his feet as he ordered. He didn’t miss Tsukasa swapping out Hinata’s card for his own, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He’d order more candles later to make up for it, a gift out of his own pocket for once.

It was all too soon before Tsukasa’s short fingers wrapped around Hinata’s wrist, pulling his hand away from his face and towards the ground. Hinata offered no resistance, letting himself be dragged to the closest exit. Tsukasa’s pace was leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world and wasn’t holding on to at least ten pounds of cinnamon rolls.

Struck by a sudden idea, Tsukasa made another detour, briskly walking his way over to one of the cute pastel pink benches situated by a flowing, granite fountain. Hinata wasn’t capable of any rational thought, sitting down when Tsukasa sat, their thighs pressing together as they managed to take up as little space on a bench that was made for four.

“Open.” Like they were playing a game of simon says, Hinata dutifully obliged. The miniature cinnamon roll placed on Hinata’s tongue was sickeningly sweet, but it was nothing compared to Tsukasa’s own giggles, muffled by his own bite of the treat. It took a while for Hinata to focus, his own bite soggy when he returned to his own mind.

Not only was his sweet tooth satisfied, but his heart as well, cinnamon sugar kisses the reason why he was still afloat.

**Author's Note:**

> hiiii im back with another hinata pov fic before i descend upon you all for reikaoweek next week
> 
> title is from it only takes a taste from waitress, i dedicate this to my bestie erin, and you can follow me [here](https://twitter.com/reikaocore) on twitter!


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